Exercise can help with weight control, can help improve an individual's health conditions, can help fight disease, can help improve an individual's mood, and/or can help boost an individual's energy level. The benefits of consistent strength training and aerobic exercise have been well documented by the medical field.
In order to assist people in achieving muscular strength, muscular endurance, and cardiovascular endurance, developers of conventional exercise equipment have come out with numerous devices including electronic, cam/pulley, and weight stack resistance machines, as well as cardiovascular machines; such as, rowers, stationary bicycles, treadmills, stair climbers, etc.
However, a large number of conventional exercise equipment is not configured for use by individuals with physical disabilities or special needs, such as individuals requiring a wheelchair, walker, stander, and/or other assistive ambulation device.
This shortfall in the amount of exercise equipment available to individuals with physical disabilities or special needs has made it difficult for individuals with physical disabilities or special needs to benefit from exercise.
Moreover, this shortfall in the amount of exercise equipment available to individuals with physical disabilities or special needs has, in some instances created a sense of exclusion for the individuals as they cannot participate in many activities, thereby negatively impacting their sense of self-worth.
On the other hand, if an individual with physical disabilities or special needs uses non-configured conventional exercise equipment, the individual may find the equipment difficult to use and/or unsafe to use.
Another form of exercise is jump rope. However, jump rope is not necessarily an easy skill to master for individuals with no physical disabilities or special needs, let alone for an individual with a physical disability or special need.
More specifically, individuals with physical disabilities or special needs; such as grasping issues and/or limited to no ability to walk; are unable to actually jump a traditional jump rope. Thus, these individuals miss out on the aerobic and anaerobic benefits of this form of exercise.
With traditional jump ropes, there is usually one length of rope attached to handles at each end. The user grips the handles and swings the rope over and jumps over the rope as it passed under the user's feet. The object is to continue this pattern in a rhythmic fashion for a specific number of times (jumps) or a given amount of time.
Often, users misjudge the timing of the jumps and lose rhythm and timing and/or trip over the rope, resulting in injury.
To realize the aerobic and anaerobic benefits of jumping rope without the danger and risk of injuring oneself, a conventional jump rope simulator/trainer can be used to mimic a jump rope without a rope actually passing under a user's feet.
The conventional jump rope simulator/trainer is grasped in the hands of the exerciser and rotated. The user may or may not jump periodically and rhythmically depending on their ability.
Since the swinging of the conventional jump rope simulator/trainer mimics the action of swinging a traditional rope, and the user has the choice of jumping or not, they can still attain health and skill related benefits.
Conventional jump rope simulator/trainers utilize a conventional jump rope handle resulting in issues for individuals with physical disabilities or special needs associated with grasping.
Moreover, conventional jump rope simulator/trainers utilize a variety of weighted objects to provide centrifugal force and a cord to produce centripetal force. The weighted objects could be a source of injury if the individual using the conventional jump rope simulator/trainer lacks the motor skills to rotate the weighted object correctly.
Thus, it is desirable to provide adapted fitness equipment that can be used by both ambulatory and non-ambulatory individuals to increase their health and sport-related fitness levels.
It is further desirable to provide adapted fitness equipment that works with multiple forms of assistive ambulation equipment like walkers, wheelchairs, gait trainers, standers, etc.
Moreover, it is desirable to provide adapted fitness equipment that can be used by individuals having different sizes, different levels of physical fitness, and/or different levels of physical disability.
Furthermore, it is desirable to provide a jump rope simulator/trainer that utilizes a grasping mechanism (handle) that enables an individual with physical disabilities or special needs associated with grasping to effectively use the jump rope simulator/trainer.
In addition, it is desirable to provide a jump rope simulator/trainer that utilizes a rotating member, which provides centrifugal force, which is shaped to reduce injury to individuals who lack the motor skills to rotate the rotating member correctly.